Building a Better Colorado

As a homegrown Coloradan, I believe in that frontier spirit of standing your ground and finding common ground. As your State Representative, I stood up for our kids, parents, and teachers by bringing in more than $1 billion of new funding for our state's schools. I found common ground in a bipartisan transportation bill that will increase investment in our roads, bridges, and transit by $3.5 billion—without raising taxes.

I've stood up to Democrats in my own party and worked with Republicans across the aisle, because who came up with an idea isn't nearly as important as how it impacts our community.

I look forward to continuing the fight to protect our Colorado way of life.

Committee Assignments

Education Committee

Transportation & Energy Committee

Board of Ethics for the General Assembly

Legislative Advisor, Colorado Commission on Higher Education

Chair, Smart Communities Public-Private Partnership, National Conference of State Legislatures

Education

"We have a responsibility to ensure that every child has the same opportunity to succeed, no matter where they're from. Everyone benefits when more people have the tools they need to get good-paying jobs to support themselves and their families. My grandma, mom, aunt, mother-in-law, and wife are all teachers. For me public education isn't just an issue, it's a family value. And it's pretty much all we talk about at Thanksgiving!"

Last Session

Successfully fought for more than $1 billion in new funding for our public schools.

Sponsored legislation to create a $30 million school safety disbursement program covering facilities upgrades and mental health training for teachers, administrators, and staff.

Cosponsored legislation to expand teacher training and recruitment programs, because half of all new teachers leave the profession within the first few years.

Sponsored legislation to create a "Return on Investment Report" for all of Colorado's public institutions of higher education and their degree programs.

Up Next

Invest in programs that give every child the chance to succeed, no matter where they're from.

Expand vocation and career training programs in high schools to help get more kids career-ready.

Improve teacher pay so we can better compete with other states to attract and retain the best teachers.

Reduce the cost of public higher education so graduates don't start their careers under mountains of debt.

Create a continuing education fund for workers to use throughout their entire lives.

Transportation

"I-25 shouldn't be Colorado's largest parking lot, and we shouldn't have to wait until after midnight for reasonable weekend traffic on I-70. Colorado's transportation infrastructure is woefully inadequate for today's population, and that's true across our entire state. While new vehicle technology may help, we need to invest more in our roads, bridges, and transit starting today."

Last Session

Sponsored an autonomous vehicle bill that will protect Colorado drivers while putting our state at the forefront of this developing industry and the new jobs that will come with it. (Click here to see my op-ed in the Denver Post.)

Sponsored legislation to streamline vehicle registration processes at the DMV, saving Coloradans time and money.

Up Next

Continue to invest in Colorado's roads, bridges, and transit so families don't have to sit in traffic and goods and services can move freely into and out of our state.

Make sure that Colorado is ready to implement new vehicle and road technology in a way that capitalizes on existing transportation infrastructure.

Jobs + Economy

"Anyone willing to work hard at a full-time job should be able to pay for housing and put food on the table. Over the past few years we've seen the cost of healthcare go up. We've seen the cost of housing and student loans go up. The only thing we haven't seen go up is wages. Colorado is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, and we must ensure that our strong economy works for all of us."

Last Session

Cosponsored legislation to create a statewide family and medical leave insurance program for all Colorado workers. (Killed in the Senate.)

Sponsored legislation for a universal retirement savings plan for the nearly 1 million Coloradans don't have access to a retirement program at work. (Killed in the Senate.)

Sponsored legislation to create a tax credit for the development of affordable housing for home ownership.

Up Next

Investigate ways to make benefits like healthcare and unemployment insurance portable across jobs and employers in order to encourage the creation of more small businesses and give independent contractors and "gig economy" workers the same benefits and protections as everyone else.

Simplify the tax code for small businesses and create a fast track for people interested in starting new businesses.

Energy + Environment

"Climate change is real, it's caused by humans, and as a state that will be hit hard by climate change, we have an even greater responsibility to act. Renewable energy also means jobs, and our State House district has more renewable energy jobs than any other district in Colorado. Increasing wind and solar production means more good-paying jobs for Coloradans, and a healthy environment we can all enjoy."

Last Session

Worked with Xcel Energy to support their plan to close two coal plants in Pueblo and replace them with expanded wind and solar.

Up Next

Fully fund the Colorado Water Plan to keep our water clean and protect one of our state's most precious—and threatened—natural resources.

Bring down the cost of housing by right-sizing the cost of new tap fees.

Continue to protect and grow our parks and open spaces, and prevent any effort to privatize our public lands.

Healthcare

"While out knocking on doors, I met a woman who can't afford to pay for her prescription medication on top of her rent and food. No one should have to face those kinds of choices. We must do more to bring down the cost of healthcare for all Coloradans, because access to affordable healthcare is a right. As someone who has suffered from asthma throughout my life, the fight over coverage of preexisting conditions is a personal one. No matter what happens in Washington, I will fight to keep that protection here in Colorado."

Last SEssion

Increased funding for opioid and substance abuse programs across the state.

Cosponsored legislation that will provide a tenfold increase in residential and inpatient substance abuse treatment through Medicaid coverage, mostly by drawing down federal funds.

Cosponsored legislation to study the feasibility and impacts of creating a Medicaid buy-in option. (Killed in the Senate.)

Cosponsored legislation to bring more transparency to prescription drug pricing. (Killed in the Senate.)

Up Next

Investigate whether joining together with other Western states could allow for a reasonably-priced Medicare- or Medicaid-style public buy-in option.

Remove barriers to telemedicine so that all parts of our state have access to the high quality healthcare and specialists they need.

equality

"'I don't just support choice, equal pay, child care, and sexual harassment laws because of the women in my life. I support them because women's issues are everyone's issues. Ensuring that we have equal protections for all members of our community, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation is a cornerstone of our Colorado and American values."

Up next

Continue working to help women access the resources they need to reduce unplanned pregnancies, while protecting their rights to make personal reproductive health care decisions without government intrusion.